Lowest HP saw to rip 8/4 maple

[Rob Duke]

Backstory - I've got a 10-15 yr old Craftsman contractor saw. I don't like it for various reasons, so I'm in the market for a new (to me) saw. I'm not in a big hurry, so hopefully I'll find a deal on Craigslist. I occasionally have the need to rip 8/4 maple. This is quite the chore for the Craftsman. I'm able to do it but the feed rate is pretty slow and I get a lot of burn marks which have to be cleaned up. Admittedly, I wasn't doing my saw any favors by using a 40T WWII all purpose blade for ripping. I just bought a dedicated 20T WWII ripping blade, which I haven't used yet. That should improve things, but it won't change the rest of the saw.

What is the lowest HP saw that you have used and gotten acceptable results ripping 2" hardwood? I am very space limited and I already have a track saw for breaking down sheets of plywood, so I will likely go the contractors saw route again if I can find one that will suit my needs.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Have you run 8/4 with that 20t WWII on your current saw?

EDIT: BTW - I would be skeptical of anyone that says they never get any burn on HM or cherry. I avoid for the vast majority of the time, but I cannot say "never". So - if you are looking for a 100% burn-free cut through 8/4 maple, you need to find one of those Unicorn blades.

[Cary Falk]

I have ripped 2" hickory on a 1 1/2 hp contractor saw with zero issues. My 3hp saw does it quicker. Good fence alignment and good blade make a lot of difference.

[Rod Sheridan]

I've ripped 8/4 hardwood with the correct blade on a 1 1/4 HP contractor saw without any issues..........Regards, Rod.

[John TenEyck]

I rip 8/4 maple and oak with my 1-1/2 HP Unisaw. With a sharp FK 24T ripping blade it does fine. With a sharp TK blade it zips through it. Neither blade burns unless they need cleaning or are dull, or the fence is not aligned properly. Of course I'd like a 3 HP motor on it, but I don't think it's necessary unless you are doing production work.

John

[Chris Padilla]

Burning while ripping can be caused by many things but assuming the blade is good and sharp and a proper rip blade (30 tooth or less, typically), and the saw is reasonably powered (seems Rod got away with a 5/4 HP motor), your feed rate needs to be sped up. However, on an underpowered saw, that may bog it down.

[Jim Dwight]

I've ripped over 3 inches with my 15A universal motor Ryobi BT3100. But if I do not use one of my Freud 24 tooth ripping blades the feed rate is glacial and it will probably burn. If I use the right blade and make sure it is clean, the pace can be reasonable and I usually do not get burn marks. I agree that maple and cherry are a lot more prone to burning than oak. But even "under powered" saws will rip fine with the right blade.

[roger wiegand]

My '50's vintage 8" craftsman saw with a 1/2 hp motor did it tolerably well. Feed rate was slow and a thin kerf rip blade helped a lot. It would stall if I pushed too hard, but with a little practice it was OK. I've never had or seen a saw that didn't leave some burn on cherry or sugar maple, so that's never been part of my criteria for judging a saw or blade. My current 20 tooth WWII thin kerf rip blade on a 3hp PM66 will easily cut as fast as I can push it, but I still get occasional burn marks.

[Rob Duke]

Have you run 8/4 with that 20t WWII on your current saw?

EDIT: BTW - I would be skeptical of anyone that says they never get any burn on HM or cherry. I avoid for the vast majority of the time, but I cannot say "never". So - if you are looking for a 100% burn-free cut through 8/4 maple, you need to find one of those Unicorn blades.

I haven't tried the new blade yet. Hopefully that solves the excessive maple burning issue. For some reason I can cut cherry just fine.

[Jim Finn]

I think a 1 1/2 HP motor with a 20 teeth carbide thin kerf saw blade would do it well for you.

[Rich Riddle]

I agree with the position that a 1.5 HP with a 20 teeth blade will work. I don't like using the minimum, but it will work if you don't plan on making a career out of ripping that size wood with the saw.

[Chris Padilla]

Actually, Rich has a good point. Ripping material this size on a table saw always gives me the heebie jeebies. I would do it on a bandsaw and clean it up on the table saw. :)

[lowell holmes]

I would do it on a bandsaw also. If you don't have one, maybe you can find a friend to do it.

Even with a rip blade, it will be job for your tablesaw. An incredible amount of sawdust will be generated and if your motor is a TEFC motor, the dust will invade the saw. If that's the case, blow the dust out periodically.

I almost destroyed my Delta Contractors Saw. It is a 2000 model, not one of the currentgeneration.

[Joe A Faulkner]

When I had a similar Craftsman saw I would rip 8/4 in two passes just so I didn't have to have such a slow feed rate. I now have a 1.5 hp Unisaw which is up to the task as noted above for the low-volume, infrequent need to rip 8/4 materials. I use a 24T ripping blade.

[Frederick Skelly]

Backstory - I've got a 10-15 yr old Craftsman contractor saw. I don't like it for various reasons, so I'm in the market for a new (to me) saw. I'm not in a big hurry, so hopefully I'll find a deal on Craigslist. I occasionally have the need to rip 8/4 maple. This is quite the chore for the Craftsman. I'm able to do it but the feed rate is pretty slow and I get a lot of burn marks which have to be cleaned up. Admittedly, I wasn't doing my saw any favors by using a 40T WWII all purpose blade for ripping. I just bought a dedicated 20T WWII ripping blade, which I haven't used yet. That should improve things, but it won't change the rest of the saw.

What is the lowest HP saw that you have used and gotten acceptable results ripping 2" hardwood? I am very space limited and I already have a track saw for breaking down sheets of plywood, so I will likely go the contractors saw route again if I can find one that will suit my needs.

Rob, just a tangential thought for you. If the 20 tooth blade does do much, you could also try a decent bandsaw.

Fred

[Kent A Bathurst]

I haven't tried the new blade yet. Hopefully that solves the excessive maple burning issue. For some reason I can cut cherry just fine.

Try it out, to see what problem you have now.

I'll guess you are not cutting 8/4 cherry, true?

[scott spencer]

Blade selection and setup of the saw are huge factors. 1hp should do it if the saw is setup right, and has a suitable blade for the job. Starting with flat straight stock also makes a difference....boards that are twisting and rocking are harder to rip. A good quality 3/32" 24T thin kerf is much easier to spin ....full kerf is 33% wider, which translates directly to the resistance to the saw....makes a notable difference on smaller motors. Keeping the blade sharp and clean makes a difference too.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Go by HD and pick up a 24 tooth Diablo 7 1/4" framing blade ( $10 +/-) It uses such a thin kerf, you will think you forgot to put the blade on the saw.

[Jim Davenport]

I've ripped 8/4 maple with my .75hp Dewalt MBF, using a 8" Forrest WWI "Mister Sawdust" blade.
Of course I used a very judicious feed rate!
I was too lazy to set up the Shopsmith. I've also ripped a lot of 8/4 hardwoods with it.

[Keith Hankins]

I haven't tried the new blade yet. Hopefully that solves the excessive maple burning issue. For some reason I can cut cherry just fine.

I have that blade, and it will do the job, but it will not be a glue ready finish just keep that in mind. I don't expect that with my other blades, but my 40T WWII usually is so close it doesn't count. When I'm ripping thick stock like 8/4 or 12/4, the 20T will get her done even on your saw, but you may have to adjust your feed rate, and that will get you a little burn, but you should leave it a bit long to allow for that finishing need anyway, I do, and I've got a 5hp saw. Good luck.

[Rick Johnston]

Bruce on my Sears contractors saw I don't think a 7 1/4 blade would let me cut more than 1" thick. With a 10 " blade 2-5/8" is about it for a max cut. What is the arbor size on that blade - 1/2" ?

[Rick Johnston]

I see that they are 5/8" arbor.

[Howard Skillington]

I agree with Rich. Using the bandsaw first is so much safer and less stressful, not to mention making life much easier for your tablesaw.

[Allan Speers]

What is the lowest HP saw that you have used and gotten acceptable results ripping 2" hardwood? I am very space limited and I already have a track saw for breaking down sheets of plywood, so I will likely go the contractors saw route again if I can find one that will suit my needs.


Since you already have a track saw, I suggest using a track saw. You would need to upgrade to an 8 1/4" CS, of course, and I highly recommend the Makita 5008. (A simple washer mod in the arbor turns this into an extremely precise tool.)

Now I know what you're thinking, because I literally just went through the whole mental process myself, so let me share my thoughts:
---------------------------

I own a deluxe set of tools from Eurekazone, including their top-end "EZ-ONE" table. Despite lots of little niggles and things that must be user-modified, I love the overall design concepts. So much so that I sold my Unisaw several years ago, and have not missed it once.

NOTE: I am NOT shilling for the company, believe me, and I have lots of little complaints about their stuff. - I've actually been banned from their forum for asking tough questions! (I kid you not.)

Now, the HUGE limitation of any track system is of course the saw itself. With the exception of the Festool TS75 (Which won't cut 2" on an EZ track) and the incredible Mafell KSP85Ec (which sells for a mere $1500) no circular saw is going to give you the same cut in 2" hardwood as a table saw, I don't care what blade you use.

And neither will a bandsaw, which brings me to the main point:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Screw precision, when making your initial rips. It's a royal PITA, and it's a bad way to work, anyway. The best way to work is to cut slightly oversize, then joint & plane your stock flat (yet still slightly thick.) Then you let it sit for s few days, so all the tension gets released.
THEN you do a final joint-plane to desired thickness, and then finally finish-joint your edges.

Now, this being the case, a bandsaw if a fine way to go if you can manage to wrestle your 2" stock up onto that table, and you can somehow keep it aligned to the BS fence. Not me, thanks. I use my tracksaw and (In my case) a 10 1/4" Makita 5104. - I like the 5104 because I can cut 2" stock at 45 degrees.

I do get some burning in certain hard woods, at 2" thick, but it's minor, and because I'm not worried about getting a perfect, final edge, it works great. You can't beat the safety factor of working this way.

For my final edges, I use hand planes. (I have several hand jointers, depending upon the size & thickness of my stock, and a separate one for end grain.) I am also now looking into using a router, again on my track, to do final edge jointing when I'm tired, or in a hurry, etc. I already have the Eurekazone router attachment, which I love, love, love (Again, after some user mods) so this is a no-brainer for me. See my recent thread concerning which bit to use, for best results.

[Jim Dwight]

I struggling with the idea of using a bandsaw. Maybe if you have a very good setup but a longish board of 8/4 maple will be heavy and will need infeed and outfeed support which is not something I've seen for bandsaws. Could always make something. If you have a setup you use for making veneer or cutting small logs, then ripping would be OK.

But 8/4 maple should be no big deal for any table saw with a good blade on it.

A tracksaw would be fine but most will barely cut 2 inches so if it is 8/4 already run through the planner it would be fine but if it is rough, my DeWalt isn't going to go all the way through it (accounting for the variations in thickness and/or flatness). The fact that you could use a tracksaw, however, just emphasizes it isn't a big deal for a table saw. My DeWalt draws 12A and cuts through a 1 3/4 door just fine. A little table saw will still draw 15A- 25% more. The smallest I remember seeing is the Rigid which draws 13A. It is a universal motor which makes it more efficient so it is still significantly more powerful than most track saws. The main advantage of the tracksaw is not power, it is the fact that it will cut very straight.